It Follows

It Follows

Starring Marika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi, Daniel Zovatto

Directed by David Robert Mitchell

The Story:
Jay (Maika Monroe) is your typical teenage girl struggling with adolescence and coming to terms with the realities of the world.  Yet she still maintains a decent childhood friendship with her sister Kelly (Lili Sepe), Paul (Keir Gilchrist), Yara (Olivia Luccardi) and Greg (Daniel Zovatto).

One night she goes on a date with Hugh (Jake Weary), and the two have sex.  Afterward, he knocks her out, and when she comes to, they're in an abandoned building and she's tied up.  He proceeds to tell her that there's a sexual curse that was passed on to him, and if he didn't pass it on to someone else, it would kill him.  "It" comes in the form of anyone - a complete stranger, or in the guise of someone she knows.  It simply follows, and if it touches you, you die, and it goes to the previous person they slept with.

Now Jay is seeing "it" everywhere, but none of her friends can see it, but they believe something is after her.  So they band together in order to prevent it from getting their friend, and hopefully find a way to get rid of it forever.

The Synopsis:
There are some truly amazing indie horror films out there.  "Session 9," "The House of the Devil," "The Innkeepers," and "You're Next" are just a few.  "It Follows" is now added to that list.

"It Follows" has been out for awhile, and I didn't get a chance to see it.  I've heard nothing but glowing reviews from the critics (even holding a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes - something very rare for a horror film), and it also held strong word-of-mouth.  Finally I dedicated time to see it, and I was not disappointed.

The film works on two levels: both as a horror film and also a surprising coming-of-age tale. 

In the horror aspect, the concept is simply creepy as heck.  An entity that doesn't teleport, doesn't have super strength, doesn't even talk.  It...just...follows.  It's the most demented game of tag you'll ever play, and the director magically creates intense scares with just a person slowly following the main characters.  You don't know what "it" is, you don't know why it exists, what it can really do, how to stop it, or even what it could look like.  It's the unknown aspects that makes the film all the more terrifying.  You can be anywhere, doing anything, and boom...there it is.

When it comes to a coming-of-age film, "It Follows" also delivers.  There's an odd absence of adults in the film, and even the main character's mother is hardly around.  If this was a movie about college-aged kids struggling with this entity, it would dampen the importance of it.  Besides being a visceral horror film, "It Follows" also focuses on the fears teenagers face - nothing lasts forever, love is fleeting, and it hurts.  As the road grows longer, it seems like an impossible task to reach the end, yet the end is nearer than they think.

On top of the eerie story and subliminal messages, "It Follows" delivers some truly amazing, innovative camera work and top notch musical scores that add to the terrifying aspect of the film.  It gives homage to "Halloween" with its static panorama filming style that incorporates the entire cast in one shot, sharing the same space.  It also give some sweeping tracking shots that circle the scene and shows more than what the main characters see, especially when "it" is silently stalking them.  When it comes to the music, the composer creates the most eerie sounds that make your nerves stand on end, especially as the silent antagonist stalks its prey.

Finally, the cast gives great performances, even if they're not as developed as you'd normally see.  This goes to the whole concept of adolescence that the director hones in on.  Jay isn't a screaming, crazy, in-depth character.  She's very freaked out by what's happening, but she doesn't go over-the-top with it.  Her friends as well don't show much emotion, which is how normal adolescents behave nowadays.  Yet they'll go to great lengths to protect their friend, which showcases the intense loyalty many of today's teenagers feel toward their friends. 

The Summary:
Blending real horror with a coming-of-age tale, "It Follows" creeps you to the marrow and leaves you watching over your shoulder. 

The Score: A